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Advice on rod selling.

C

Chris Stogdale

New Member
I will be looking at thinning out some gear in the next few days and after some advice please from you knowledgeable people.
What have people found to be the best way of sending rods out and cost?
I was thinking along the lines of the old rod tubes for packing, those that were about 3” in diameter (I have a few spare from my match fishing days)
As for postage costs, any suggestions with indicative costs.
Is there anything else I need to be aware of before I get things together and start taking pics etc.

Many thanks
Chris
 
Chris. Just note that most carriers exclude compensation for fishing rods.
Even if you pay extra!!!!!

Personally, after losing £150 on a rod that got snapped despite in tube and wrapped ( crushed) I would never send and rather get a bit less on collection or meet up only.
 
Graham Elliott said:
Chris. Just note that most carriers exclude compensation for fishing rods.
Even if you pay extra!!!!!

Personally, after losing £150 on a rod that got snapped despite in tube and wrapped ( crushed) I would never send and rather get a bit less on collection or meet up only.
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Graham Elliott said:
Chris. Just note that most carriers exclude compensation for fishing rods.
Even if you pay extra!!!!!

Personally, after losing £150 on a rod that got snapped despite in tube and wrapped ( crushed) I would never send and rather get a bit less on collection or meet up only.
Click to expand...
Two considerations first. Length then cost. Up to 1400 the post office will take, maybe even up to 1500 for around £12 . That's good value. Must be in a carpet roll centre though. Plastic tubes even from a/d do split when abused on conveyor belt. 3" unlikely to be enought width too. Over 14/1500 you are stuffed with 30/40£ and as Julian says, the couriers will decline to reimburse if/ when damaged. The market for used rods is the flattest in my 12 years of activity on eBay. 2 reasons perhaps IE the cost of couriers in disproportionate to value . Or , toys are very low down on most families list of must things to buy. My advice is leave til market improves, next year at earliest imho , or have a fire sale collection only.
 
Chris Stogdale said:
I will be looking at thinning out some gear in the next few days and after some advice please from you knowledgeable people.
What have people found to be the best way of sending rods out and cost?
I was thinking along the lines of the old rod tubes for packing, those that were about 3” in diameter (I have a few spare from my match fishing days)
As for postage costs, any suggestions with indicative costs.
Is there anything else I need to be aware of before I get things together and start taking pics etc.

Many thanks
Chris
Click to expand...
I've not had a problem posting or receiving rods. The ones I have posted have been three piece, thirteen foot rods so it's easy-peasy. In terms of what Alec says above about the market, it is a bit of a lottery, and it largely depends on what you have and how desirable it is. Basically, if you have something appealing to an angler who is a baby boomer, then you'll be quids in because they have deep pockets 😆 For younger (ahem) people, it could be harder work, but who knows?

Post a load of stuff on here and see what happens. If it doesn't sell try eBay, but be prepared for seller fees and more faff.
 
I’ve advertised (on several Forums) several decent rods recently at sensible prices and had almost zero interest. The issue has probably been ‘collection only’ - for the reasons given above.

I shifted 4 rods at the recent RDAA open day; but they were old very cheap stuff rather than more modern rods (despite advantageous pricing).

Really good stuff will still sell - watch the adverts on here…..
 
Tim Marks said:
I’ve advertised (on several Forums) several decent rods recently at sensible prices and had almost zero interest. The issue has probably been ‘collection only’ - for the reasons given above.

I shifted 4 rods at the recent RDAA open day; but they were old very cheap stuff rather than more modern rods (despite advantageous pricing).

Really good stuff will still sell - watch the adverts on here…..
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Absolutely right Tim. Judging by how little time between listing on bfw classified to the magic "sold "being added, this site is streets ahead of eBay currently.
 
Anything over 1.4m and you will have to pay at least £30 carriage . Despite what couriers say , and has been pointed out , most couriers won't cover fishing rods for damage in transit . This said , I have posted many rods in UK and abroad and with one exception they all arrived safely posted in a decent rod tube .To get an idea of prices just input your weights / dimensions in to one of the sites like Parcel to go or interparcel , however if you can be faffed it is usually cheaper to get quotes by contacting the couriers direct. Avoid Yodel , the best couriers I found were UPS and Parcelforce
 
I’ve sold a few rods in the past, delivered using Parcel Force 48 hour door to door and without issue. I typically use the hard cardboard tubes, which I save when receiving new rods. If you have a local tackle shop, which you use, ask them to save you some.

More recently, I’m a member of a large angling club, which has an active web forum and facebook page. Through this I’ve found it easy to sell rods locally, so no longer have the need to post.

Also if you are selling high end gear, you’ll find that people will travel to collect it. Two weeks ago I drove 100 miles to collect a pair of rods off a BFW member and he travelled 30+ miles to meet me, so you can agree a mutually agreeable meet up point between buyer and seller.
 
I've regularly sent 11 ft and 12ft two -piece rods from my village Post Office for £13.95, using Parcelforce 48. Strictly speaking, the price should be more for anything over 1.4m, but my Post Office doesn't measure them and I'm not arguing.
.
 
Kevin Steele said:
I've regularly sent 11 ft and 12ft two -piece rods from my village Post Office for £13.95, using Parcelforce 48. Strictly speaking, the price should be more for anything over 1.4m, but my Post Office doesn't measure them and I'm not arguing.
.
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Lucky you. My local Post Office are the biggest fascists in town :(
 
Big cardboard tubes from carpet shops are a must imo. My local Angling Direct has a load of heavy duty cardboard tubes they must use for sending, might be worth asking them or a fishing shop if you have one near.

I've only used UPS, never had a problem sending, cheapest I've found but still expensive.

I'd start on here, even if they arent barbel rods, and at a reasonable price. People dont take the mick on here and pay going rates because they know they're dealing with trustworthy people. People travel distances to get a rod they want, that might mean meeting them somewhere but its worth avoiding the stress of posting imo.
 
Go to your local carpet shop and ask for tubes,
UPS £25 insured for loss but not damage.
Advertise as collection and willing to courier at cost.
 
Thanks all for the replies, greatly appreciated. I’ll put some on here in next few days for a start and see what happens, hopefully relatively local (Yorkshire) anglers might be interested. Thanks agai
Chris
 
Ebay is broken IMO, not long ago I actually paid them to "promote" a listing, 6 people saw it, never again. The algorithms decide what moves and what doesn't.

We sold books on Amazon for years, it was brilliant. At one point I had 7,000 quality niche non fiction books on there, we'd sell three to ten a day, no messing about. The right book at right money simply sold. Then the algorithms took over. We'd suddenly go off, not sell a book for 48 hrs then all of a sudden, bingo, we would sell four in 20 minutes.

There is no semblance of a level playing field anymore. You could have an E-type Jag on for a tenner and if the bots don't like it, nobody will see it. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
 
Like Graham I have had a bad experience posting an irreplaceable rod that ended up costing me a substantial amount of money. Since then if people want it bad enough they will have to make arrangements with me to meet up. I’m happy to make an effort if others are but I won’t hand them over to careless couriers.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Like Graham I have had a bad experience posting an irreplaceable rod that ended up costing me a substantial amount of money.
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Not sure why you didn't insure it, or why Graham has been unable to get cover for fishing rods, but you can get enhanced cover with Royal Mail Special Delivery for up to £2,500.00 with standard cover being £750.00. This is for loss or damage... and no exclusions for fishing rods, or, as is often wrongly stated, for musical instruments (I ship high value guitars fairly frequently).

Lots of people malign Royal Mail, but 99.5% of the time I've had no problems.... the other 0.5% is what insurance is for.
.
 
Kevin Steele said:
Not sure why you didn't insure it, or why Graham has been unable to get cover for fishing rods, but you can get enhanced cover with Royal Mail Special Delivery for up to £2,500.00 with standard cover being £750.00. This is for loss or damage... and no exclusions for fishing rods, or, as is often wrongly stated, for musical instruments (I ship high value guitars fairly frequently).

Lots of people malign Royal Mail, but 99.5% of the time I've had no problems.... the other 0.5% is what insurance is for.
.
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What’s the maximum length Royal mail will allow you to send via their special delivery

Edit .. just checked 104cm. Not a lot of use I’m afraid Kevin unless your sending out a 3 piece 10 footer.
 
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Chris Stogdale said:
I will be looking at thinning out some gear in the next few days and after some advice please from you knowledgeable people.
What have people found to be the best way of sending rods out and cost?
I was thinking along the lines of the old rod tubes for packing, those that were about 3” in diameter (I have a few spare from my match fishing days)
As for postage costs, any suggestions with indicative costs.
Is there anything else I need to be aware of before I get things together and start taking pics etc.

Many thanks
Chris
Click to expand...
I'm with Graham here... If people want them that much, then they'll drive to ya, or you can arrange local pick up.
Saying that if they're willing to sort out a courier service for themselves & cover the costs & risks themselves I'd opt for that.
Just give a couple of choices, & let potential buyers make that decision for you.

Most of my collection are already in clear plastic tubes I got sized & ordererd. So when I come to sell, any buyer can pop round & pick the rod up and it'll be supplied in a tube.

Incidentally, I've done 5hr round trips before now to collect quality gear...
 
Richard Isaacs said:
What’s the maximum length Royal mail will allow you to send via their special delivery

Edit .. just checked 104cm. Not a lot of use I’m afraid Kevin unless your sending out a 3 piece 10 footer.
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure it's 1400cm for the post office but could be 1500
 
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